Drovers Rally But Come up Short in SAC Quarterfinals at JBU

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. – Wednesday night, the No. 7 seed University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (6-8-4, 3-4-2 SAC) had their season come to a close with a hard fought 2-1 loss in the Sooner Athletic Conference quarterfinals at No. 2 John Brown University (11-1-5, 7-1-1 SAC). 

 The Golden Eagles captured an early lead with a goal in the eighth minute, but neither team was able to score for the rest of the half. 

Stijn Iding was issued a pair of yellow card in the first half, meaning the Drovers would have to finish the final 49 minutes of the game with only 10 players on the field. 

Following halftime, USAO continued to battle, and the score remained 1-0. The Drovers went two-men down as Harry Yorke was issued a red card in the 72^nd minute.

Down but not out, the Drovers managed to even the score at 1-1 as Dani Suarez scored on a penalty kick in the 74^th minute. 

However, the Golden Eagles quickly reclaimed the momentum, scoring the go-ahead goal in the 75^th minute. 

Both teams had some late scoring chances, but neither was able to capitalize in the final minutes. 

As a team, USAO attempted 13 shots, with only two being on goal, while JBU attempted 22 shots, 10 of which were on target. USAO attempted five corner kicks and John Brown had eight attempts out of the offensive corners. The Drovers were whistled for 27 fouls, while the Golden Eagles committed nine infractions. USAO was issued seven yellow cards and two red cards, while JBU earned only one yellow card.

Angel Diaz stopped eight of the 10 shots that came his way. Diaz ranks first in the Sooner Athletic Conference in saves (64) and fourth in save percentage (.744).

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will now head into the offseason and prepare for the 2025 season, beginning next August.

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